Broadway is back on the big screen thanksWicked, which sees the first movie in its two-part adaptation hit theaters on November 22. Of course, its pedigree precedes the stage, as the musical was adapted from Gregory Maguire’s novel of the same name, which in and of itself serves as a prequel toL. Frank Baum’s classic novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz.Wickedcenters on Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a student of Oz’s prestigious Shiz University whose life has been made more difficult due to her skin being an unnatural shade of greeen.
Audiences know Elphaba as the Wicked Witch of the West, butWickedpulls back the curtain to reveal her sensitive and thoughtful nature, her complex friendship with Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) back when she was just Galinda Upland, and her deep devotion to her sister Nessa.Nessarose Thropp (played by newcomer Marissa Bode)is also different from her fellow Shiz students, having been born paralyzed from the waist down, but she deals with her situation differently from Elphaba. She even begins a sweet romance with a munchkin named Boq (Ethan Slater), though there is the unfortunate matter of Boq harboring his own secret crush on Glinda.
“Astounding!": Judy Garland’s Daughter Reviews Wicked In Lengthy Social Media Post
Judy Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft, praises the Wicked movie in a lengthy review that highlights the performances, direction, and production design.
ScreenRantinterviewed Bode and Slater abouttheir roles inWickedand which song is their favorite from Part 1. The duo also explained how Nessarose and Boq handle their love triangle (more accurately a pentagon) with Glinda, and teased where their journey will take them inWicked: Part II.
There Is No Place Like Home, And No Feature Film Debut Like A Wicked One
“To be in a huge movie like this, and for it to be my first, is just genuinely mind-blowing to me.”
Screen Rant: Marissa, this is your feature film debut, and it’sWicked. What was that experience like, and how has it set the tone for your career?
Marissa Bode: I mean, to be in a huge movie like this, and for it to be my first, is just genuinely mind-blowing to me still. But it makes me also very excited to have my face out there and for what’s more to come in the future.
Because I am definitely not done, especially in the world of creating more spaces for disabled people. If it’s not me, I want to make sure and advocate that it’s another disabled person. There is absolutely a place for disabled people within the industry as long as we’re seen, we’re heard, and our accommodations are met.
Screen Rant: Can you each tell me your favoriteWickedsong that is not your own?
Ethan Slater: I’ve been saying my favorite number is “What Is This Feeling?” but maybe that’s not true. Maybe I lied. I love all of them, but I will say that one of my favorite things, as somebody who loves “Make ‘Em Laugh” [from Singin’ In The Rain] and comedy dance numbers and physical comedy, “Popular” is just one of the best versions that we’ve seen in a long time. So, I’m going to say that this time.
Marissa Bode: I think for me, it’s still a tie between “The Wizard And I” and “Defying Gravity,” just because of the power within both those songs and the hope. There’s every emotion within those songs, especially the ones that Cynthia gets across. It’s just chef’s kiss.
Ethan Slater & Marissa Bode Tell Their Side Of Wicked’ Glinda Love Triangle Story
“I do think it’s really powerful, both what we can learn from it and what we can learn not to do.”
Screen Rant: Boq infamously goes from his one-sided crush on Galinda to a reluctant relationship with Nessarose. Can you take us through this journey, Ethan? Do your feelings for her grow in any particular direction in Part 1?
Ethan Slater: Yeah, that’s a really nice question because I do think that there’s a real relationship between Boq and Nessarose. There’s a real friendship there, and I think that the friendship does grow and develop, especially through the scene at the Ozdust Ballroom.
There is unrequited love, since Boq is is yearning for Galinda, which will never happen. But I think that the development of this friendship and relationship is really beautiful in the first movie, and we’ll see where it goes from there. I do think it’s really powerful, both what we can learn from it and what we can learn not to do from it. Is that vague enough?
Screen Rant: I love that. I’m always wondering how many people will go into it not knowing what happens in Part 2.
Ethan Slater: Well, that’s the thing. I feel like what’s really exciting about this is that some people are; a lot of people are. I think it really is such a good movie [on its own], and then to know that there’s a second one? I don’t know, I’m excited about that.
Screen Rant: Speaking of planting seeds for Part 2, what can you say about where Nessarose is emotionally at the end of Wicked, and how she might be affected later on?
Marissa Bode: There is that part at the train station where you see very briefly that the wheels may be turning for Nessa, when she sees Boq and how much adoration he has for Glinda. I think in that moment she’s like, “Well, I don’t fully know if he really, truly has ever looked at me that way.” We’re taking that, and going into the second film, and seeing how she copes with those feelings.
More About Wicked Part 1 (2024)
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Broadway’s The Color Purple) as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. Following an encounter with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads and their lives take very different paths. Glinda’s unflinching desire for popularity sees her seduced by power, while Elphaba’s determination to remain true to herself, and to those around her, will have unexpected and shocking consequences on her future. Their extraordinary adventures in Oz will ultimately see them fulfill their destinies as Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
